Kitchen stuff to bring

• Ziploc freezer bags (the heavy ones; all sizes are handy)
• Water bottle or two
• Decent paring knife and a bigger kitchen knife, if you care about cooking.
• Travel coffee press, if you’re an addict and/or coffee snob (only thing you can get in the hinterlands is instant coffee. Buy beans in Lusaka before you get posted!)
• Spices (I brought chili powder, cumin, green chili, and an assortment a friend gave me. Totally worth it to make food that tastes like home. Cinnamon, black pepper and other basics are available here.)
• Water-bottle drink mixes (These were a hot commodity during training. I brought Kool-Aid along with powdered stevia from the health food store—600 servings in one tiny bottle.)
• Your favorite candy, especially sugarless gum if you’re a fan. You’ll start getting packages, but those snacks could save your bacon during those first few weeks. Also, share and make instant friends with your host family.

Seeds. You can buy seeds for basics like tomato, onion, and greens, but we had family send us broccoli, cilantro, basil, lettuce, mint.